Internal combustion engine



l NOV. 23,1393?. F' c MOCK INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed oct. 2d,1955 2 sheets-sheet 1 NVENTOR.

Ham/f C. Moc/r MMM /mz ATTORNEY.

' Patente-J Nov. 23,1937

, 'UNITED' STATES APArlazN'r OFFICE Eclipse Aviation Corporation,

East Orange,

N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 20, 1933, SerialNo. 694,483

19 Claims. (Cl. 123-32) This invention relates to internal combustionengines and more particularly to engines of the type employing fuelinjection.

Several attempts have heretofore been made to vdesign aninternal-combustion engine ofthe type employingl fuel injection, insucha manner as to secure eicient operation thereof with fuels of the `lessvolatile type, and incertain ofthe prior constructions, the injectedfuel has been directed to impinge upon a reciprocating engine elementnormally heated to a relatively high temprature during operation. A fuelspray thus directed, it was thought, materially increased the degree andrate of vaporizatlon of .the fuel by }5 reason of the heat abstractedfrom such engine element. In such prior instances, however,` it' hasbeen determined that the increase in the vaporization of the fuel hasnot been appreciable, this' being due to the fact that a large portionof the fuel, injected upon the engine element at a relatively highve1ocity, was vnot reflected from Y said element in the manner supposed,but skidded across said element into contact with the rela tively coolcylinder wall, to which the fuel arl-ly posits in the engine cylindersand impairment v of lubrication due to the liquid fuel adhering to thecylinder wall.

One -of the 'objects of the present invention'is y to'provvide' a novelmethod and means for securing more rapid land complete evaporation of 40the fuel 'charge in engines of the type utilizing an-injected charge offuel in order to avoid the abovediflicultie's.

Another object of the invention is to provide a n'ovelinternalcombustion engine construction l wherein certain `of the engine elementsheated by the combustion of the fuel are employed for rap-- idlyevaporating successive fuel charges and effecting, in la relativelyshort interval of time, a

homogeneous and thoroughly vaporized mixture 60 thereof with the airlcharge Adrawn into the engine, whereby thelatter may be operatedeiicientlyat high speeds.

of the above character, a novel construction 56 wherein-the fuel sprayjsydirectedcntgi highly Still another object is to provide in an engine yheated engine elements, thus not only eectingl a more rapid evaporationof thefuel but also enabling such elements to be maintained at arelatively lower temperature resulting in a material increase in thecapabilities and perform- 5 ance of high powered engines.

Another object is to provide an internal combustion engine wherein thefuel spray is directed upon a heated engine element and wherein theintake and exhaust4 ports of the engine are so, 10 arranged with respectto each other and to the fuel spray as to effect an unusually'rapidevaporation o1. fuel and mixture thereof with air.

Another object is to provide in an internal combustion engine of theabove character, a novel ,15 method 'and means for cniining` theinjected spray of fuel between surfaces of higher temperature than thecylinder walls until the entrance velocity of the injected fuel hasappreciably decreased, thus materially increasing the rate and.20

degree of evaporationvof the fuel.

A further object is to provide in an internal combustion engine of theabove' type, a novel construction whereby the injected fuel and incomingair charge are directed upon the surface of a heated engine elementwhich is so constituted as to direct the fuel and resultant mixture awayfrom the relatively cooler vwalls of the engine cylinderl in order toavoid adherence of liquid fuel to said walls and consequentnonvaporization thereof, such an arrangement serving' to increaseevaporation of the fuel and enabling eilicient operation of the engineupon a relatively lean combustible mixture.

Another object and feature of the invention resides in the provision ofa novel surface on one or more of the engine elements normally heated toa relatively high temperature during operation of the engine, wherebythe fuel particles of the injected spray, directed upon such element oro elements, receive a series of impacts and will thus become morethoroughly vaporiz'ed. Y

A still further object is to provide in an interna combustion engine, anovel method and means for timing the injection of fuel` thereto,whereby 45 l 'the same may be injected at various times in the enginecycle for securing most eiilcientoperation during starting and during'normal running.

`A further object is to provide an internal combustion engineconstructlon'of the above charac- 5o ter soconstituted as to beunusually efcient in operation, light-in weight, economical ofmanufacture and enabling the eiilcient user/of relatively heavy orsafety fuels.

Qther objects and novel features of the invention will appear more fullyhereinafter. from the following detailed description when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustrationonly and are not designed as a definition of the limits of theinvention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters refer tolike parts throughout the several views:

Fig. `1 is' a vertical sectional view of an internal combustion engineillustrating one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of an internal combustion engineillustrating another form of the invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

A Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of an engine constructed inaccordance with still another form;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the piston of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional View of still another modication;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional viewl of still another modication;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the engine shown in Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a fuel pump and control therefor; L

Figs. 10, 11, and 12 illustrate the control cams for the pump;

Fig. 13 is a view illustrating a modified form of the cam of Fig. 10;and

Fig. 14 is a view of the form shown in Fig. 1 illustrating the deection-of the fuel at various piston positions.

In the operation of internal combustion engines of the type employinginjection of the less volatile fuels, rapid and complete evaporation ofthe fuel charge and consequent rapid absorption of heat is highlydesirable and in fact neces- 'sary if it is desired to operate theengine efficiently at high speeds. By the present invention, such rapidabsorption of heat by the injected fuel spray is obtained by utilizingthe heat in the hot exhaust gases in the cylinder at the time ofinjection; by so positioning the intake and exhaust valves that the aircharge is heated not only by the piston and walls of the cylinder butalso by the exhaust valve; and by directing the fuel spray l against thehighly heated surface of the engine piston' and/or head of the exhaustvalve and maintaining'the spray in cont-act with such surface and awayfrom the relatively cooler cylinder wall until theV velocity of thespray, yet unvaporized, has materially decreased.

In utilizing the above features, it has been found that a materialincrease in the turbulence and evaporation of the fuel charge isvobtained by subjecting the fuel spray to a succession ofr impacts. Incertain forms of the invention, such impacts are imparted to the fuel bycorrugating or grooving the heated engine element against y.

which the fuel spray is directed. This construction, moreover, serves toincrease the angle of reflection of the spray so that the latter will bedirected away from the relatively cooler cylinder walls where it would'otherwise adhere and rey main in an unvaporized condition, causing thedisadvantages mentioned above. In addition to the above, theconstruction referred to, in irrcreasing the evaporation of the fuel,enables the engine element, against which the fuel is directed, to beoperated at a temperature lower than that hitherto found possible, thusavoiding the burning and destruction of such elements.

With the above in mind and referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of thedrawings, an internal combustion engine embodying the present inventionis illustrated therein as comprising a cylinder 8 having a piston 9reciprocatingly mounted therein. A fuel injecting device I0 ispositioned in the side wall of the cylinder in such a manner as todirect a conical spray of fuel against the top of the piston, such spraybeing indicated by the lines II, it being noted that the same impingesupon the piston at an angle. In order to abstract the maximum amount ofheat from the heated elements of the engine for the purpose ofincreasing the degree of evaporation and in order to prevent contactbetween the fuel spray and the relatively cool cylinder wall, asemi-circular fuel deflecting flange I2 is provided upon the top of thepiston adjacent the exhaust valve I3,

the said flange being provided with an inwardly turned ledge or lip I4for directing the fuel spray upwardly against the exhaust valve and awayfrom the cylinder wall as shown. The surface of the top of the pistonenclosed by said flange is provided with corrugations or ribs I5arranged transversely to the direction of the fuel spray II and thecorrugated or ribbed portion is preferably gradually curved upwardly tothe flange I2, it having been determined that such a conlstruction notonly increases the effective heating surface for evaporating the fuel,but also pre-v vents the fuel from skidding across the top of the pistonwhere it would otherwise contact the relatively cool cylinder wall andremain thereon in a liquid condition. This arrangement, moreover,

subjects the fuel spray to a plurality of impacts thus enabling a moreeflicient vaporization of the fuel.

It may be noted from Fig. 14 that 'as the piston 6 reciprocates in thecylinder, the oblique spray I I impinges against different serrations orgrooves throughout the piston travel and that the spray of fuel isdiffused throughout the entire combustion chamber by virtue of thevariations in angle of incidence.

In order to control and efficiently direct a charge of air into saidcylinder to form therein a homogeneous combustible mixture for the fuelspray, there is provided an intake valve I6 positioned adjacent the fuelinjecting means I0. Preferably, ysuch valve is provided with a-shroud4or directing flange II for the purpose of conducting the incomingcharge of air directly upon the heated corrugated portion of the piston,as indicated by the arrows I8, whereby the fuel spray will meet thewhirl of air, become intimately mixed therewith, and will be directedagainst the heated head of the exhaust valve I3 ashereinbeforedescribed. It will be noted that suitable ignition means I9 have beenprovided for igniting the resultant combustible mixture and that' suchmeans are positioned in the cylinder wallI opposite the fuel injectingdevice, so that the fuel spray is directed generally toward the ignitionmeans, thus enabling ready combustion of the fuel during operation Aofthe engine. A further feature resides in the provision of means forenabling the top of the piston 9 to be maintained at a highertemperature than the remaining portion .the piston adjacent the topthereof, it being apparent that such groove appreciably decreases theheat conductivity between the top of the piston and the remainingportion thereof, which latter presents a substantial surface totherelatively cool walls of the cylinder. I

Referring to Fig. 2, the modification illustrated therein is embodied'inan engine utilizing center fuel injection. As shown, the cylinder 8 isprovided with a dome-shaped head 23 having a fuel injecting device Ipositioned in the center thereof and having also intake and exhaustvalves I6 and I3 respectively positioned upon either side of the centralportion thereof into the form of arounded cusp 24, while the flange I2is gradually curved into the piston head as shown. In this form, theintake valve is preferably provided with a shroud or deflecting flangeI1 positioned in such a manner that the incoming charge of air will bedirected tangentially into the cylinder, as indicated by the arrows 25,thus effecting a spiral whirl of combustible mixture about the centralportion 24 of the piston. With this arrangement, as the piston travelsdownwardly during the suction stroke, it will be apparent that the aircharge will be directed toward successive portions of the Piston headwith its accumulated lfuel in order to insure an intimate mixture.Suitable ignition means I9, which may comprise a combined heater andspark plug for starting and normal running respectively, is provided inthe side of the domeshaped head 23.

VThe ange I2 of the piston 8 shields the combined heater and spark plugI9 from the direct path of the whirling gases at the top of the pistonstroke, but is preferably cut away at 1 toprovide indirect communicationbetween the cylinder and Plug.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, theconstruction is such that'an air whirl is created with a double vortexmovement of fuel and vapor. To this end,l the piston head is providedwith a flange I2 extending around the piston but terminating upon eitherside of the fuel injecting device I0 and the fuel issuing from -thelatter is ldivided into two sprays, 26 and 21 respectively, which aredirected toward the end portions of said flange, see Fig. 5. In order toincrease the heating surface with which the fuel `spray contacts and inorder also to increase the number of impacts between the fuel and theflange, the latter is provided'with corrugations or ribs 29 arrangedtransversely to the direction of passage 'of the fuel. Directly oppositethe fuel injecting device I0, the flange is symmetrically curvedinwardly in the form of a rounded cusp 29,-Fig. 5, to effect the.hretofore'mentioned double vortex movement of the fuel. The air chargeis preferably directed into the paths of the fuel sprays adjacentthefuel injecting devices by means of a shroud or other suitable deflectingdevice 30 carried by the intake valve I6, the flow of the air chargebeing indicated by the arrows 3I, it being noted that the same iswhirled' along with each spray as shown in Fig. 5. A suitable combinedheating device and spark plug I9 is provided in the cylinder oppositethe fuel-injecting device Ill.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 6, the piston 9 is formed with acup-shaped depression having corrugations I5 against which the fuelimpinges.

'I'he intake valve I6 has been turned ninety degrees ,from the positionshown in Fig. 2 whereby the baille I1 causes the incoming airk tointersect the fuel spray and be directed past the exhaust valve I3 anddownwardly against the corrugations in a whirl as indicated by arrows22. This both cools the exhaust valve and applies the heat so abstractedtoward vaporization of the fuel. It will be noted that in the formillustrated in Fig. 6, the spa-rkplug I9 isl located substantially atthe axis of the swirling'mlxture and therefore the mixture will haveless cooling action on the spark plug. The fuel to air ratio will alsobe higher in the region of the spark plug with a resultant improvementin ignition.

. In the forms of the invention heretofore de scribed, the corrugated orribbed heated engine element against which the fuel spray has beendirected has taken the form of the engine piston.v

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate a construction wherein another heatedengineelement may be employed for aiding in the vaporization of thefuel, such element being the engine exhaustvalve I3. As shown, twoexhaust and two' intake valves, I3 and I6 respectively, are employed andthe head of each exhaust valve is concave and is provided withcorrugations or ribs 32 arranged substantially4 transversely to thedirection of the angularlyrelated fuel sprays 33, 34 issuing from thefuel injecting device I0, see Fig. 7. Each valvev is also provided withan inwardly turned 'lip |311' which is similar i-n function to the lipI4 on the piston. In this arrangement, the sprays, after impinging'against the exhaust valve heads, are

deflected' against the heated piston head, 4thus abstracting heat fromnot only: the exhaust valve but also the top of the piston, therebyenabling a complete and rapid vaporization of the fuel and permittingthese engine parts to be'maintained at a relatively lower temperaturethan heretofore. By the provision lof the lip I'3d, any

possibilityA of the fuel being deflected onto the cylinder wall isavoided. A suitable ignition device I9 is positioned in the cylinderopposite the fuel injecting nozzle I0.

Means are provided by the present invention for variably timing theinjection of fuel'into the engines heretofore described iii order to ob.tain eiiicient operation during starting and also during running in`either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. As shown.' Figs. 9 to12, such means are constituted by a fuel pump 35 adapted. to beconnected with* the fuel injecting devices III and having anoperatingmember 36 pivotally mounted as at 31 to a portion ofthe fuelpump casing 38. Movement of the operating member to actuate the fuelpump is effected by means of a rotatable member 39 drivablyconnected inany suitable manner toa rotatable engine driven shaft 4 0. Suchrotatable member is provided with va plurality of cam members 4I,.42,-and 43 and this assembly isfso arproper injection of fuel fornormal running of the engine in a clockwise direction, while Fig/ l2illustrates the profile of cam 4I for operating the fuel pump in orderto secure proper/injection during normal running of the engine in acounterclockwise direction. Fig. 11 illustrates the profile of thestarting cam 42, wherein it will be noted that two lobes 45 and 46 maybe provided for effecting injection of fuel into the cylinder against aheated element therein as heretofore described, at the beginning of thesuction stroke and at the top `of the firing stroke. Such an arrangementpermits ready starting of the engine and enables the latter to pick upits load efciently. After the engine has been started and is runningsmoothly, themember 39 may be operated in the proper direction to bringeither cam 4| or .cam 43 into engagement with the roller 44 dependingupon the direction of rotation of the engine.

An alternative construction of the starting cam'4 2 is illustrated inFig. 13, useful for starting with a warm air charge, wherein it will benoted that an-initial injection of fuel may be effected at the beginningof the compression stroke,l by means of cam 48, so that the spray willtraverse the cylinder space Without striking a cold wall; and asupplementary injection may be also effected by the cam 49 atapproximately the top center of the firing stroke.

There is thus provided by the present invention a novel method and meansfor injecting fuel into the cylinders of internal combustion engines toobtain more rapid and more complete vaporization thereof, thus enablingthe efficient use of relatively heavy or safety fuels and realizinghigher fuel eiciencies with increased power. The manner in which theinjected fuel is di- .rected towards an engine element, normally heatedto a relatively high temperature during operation of the engine, and ismaintained out of contact with the relatively cool walls of thecylinder, until the velocity of the fuel spray has been materiallyreduced, enables a substantial amount of heat to be abstracted from suchele- ;ment to secure rapid vaporization ofthe fuel,

and to moreover enablelsuch engine element to remain at a relativelycooler temperature than heretofore. This arrangement also prevents thefuel spray from impinging against the relatively cool cylinder wall, towhich an appreciable portion of the spray would adhere and not becomevaporized. The provision of the ribbed or corrugated surface of theengine element, against which the fuel spray is directed, not onlyincreases the surface available for evaporation of the fuel, but alsosubjects the particles of the fuel spray to a series of impacts inorder'to further break up such particles and effect more completevaporization thereof. The fuel injection timing arrangement disclosedpermits efcient injectionof fuel into the engine at various vtimesduring the engine cycle to enable ready starting of the engine, andnormal running thereof in either direction.

While several embodiments of the invention y have been disclosed anddescribed herein, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited thereto, but may be` embodied in other forms, as well understoodby those skilled in the art. Reference will therefore be had to theappended claims for a definition of the limits of the in' vention.

What ii claimed is: 1. InV an internal combustion engine having acylinder, a reciprocating engine element in said' cylinder, said elementhaving an undulating corugated surface having 4a series of round cornergrooves having prominent edges at the boundary of the grooves and heatedto a relatively high temperature by the combustion of fuel in said cyl-A to the injection means for igniting said fuel.

2. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder, a pistonreciprocatingly mounted therein, a plurality of undulating corrugationsprovided on the top of said piston the depth of which is less than thewidth, means positioned in the side wall of the cylinder at an acuteangle to the cylinder axis for injecting fuel into said cylinder againstsaid corrugations, and means in the cylinder opposite to the fuelinjection means for iguiting said fuel.

3. In an internal combustion engine having a 'cylinder and a pistonreciprocatingly mounted therein, intake and exhaust valves in saidcylinder, means for injecting fuel into said cylinder,

comprising a plurality of undulating corrugations on the top of saidpiston, a fuel jet in the side wall of the cylinder and inclined at anacute angle with the cylinder axis from which the fuel is directed at anacute angle with the top of the piston,

a. flange on the piston having an inwardly curved lip for deecting saidfuel upwardly in the cylinder and away from the walls thereof, anddeflecting means associated with said intake valve for directingincoming gases toward said flange.

5. In combination with a cylinder having a piston reciprocatinglymounted therein, of intake and exhaust valves for said cylinder, aplurality of corrugationsprovided on the top of said piston to one sidethereof and located directly beneath said exhaust valve, means forinjecting fuelinto said cylinder against said corrugations during thesuction stroke of said piston, and means for deflecting said fuelupwardly and away from the ,walls of said cylinder so that the fuel willbe directed against said exhaust valve.

6. The combination with a cylinder having a piston reciprocatinglymounted therein, of intake and exhaust valves for said cylinder, aplurality of corrugations provided on the top of said piston to one sidethereof and located directly beneath said exhaust valve, means forinjecting fuel into'said cylinder against said corrugations,

7. In an internal combustion engine having a` cylinder and a pistonreciprocatingly mounted therein, a plurality of undulating corrugationsprovided in the top of said piston, said corrugations having a widthgreater than their depth means for injecting fuel into said cylinderagainst said corrugations, said fuel injection means being` positionedin the side wall of the cylinder and inclined at an acute angle with thecylinder axis,

means for'igniting said fuel, and said piston hav- :aid cylinder, meansfor injecting fuel into said aylinder against the top of said piston, aninwardly curved surface on the piston for deflecting saidy fuel upwardlyand away from the cylinder wall to cause said fuel to impinge upon saidexhaust valve, and ignition means positioned in the Wall of the cylinderopposite said fuel injecting .means and adjacent said exhaust valve.

9. In an internal combustion engine having a .cylinder and a pistonreciprocatingly mounted therein, said cylinder being provided with adomeshaped head, a plurality of corrugations provided on the top of saidpiston, fuel injecting means positioned in the center of said head andadapted to inject a conical spray of fuel into said'cylinder against thecorrugated top of said piston, intake `and exhaust valves positioned insaid head upon either side of said first named means, means associatedwith said intake valve and directing air into said cylinder to create aspiral turbulence of air and fuel therein when said valve is open, andmeans formed on said piston for directing the fuel upwardly and awayfrom the side Wall of said cylinder.

10. In an internal combustion engine having a `cylinder and a pistonreciprocatingly mounted therein, exhaust and intake valves in the upperportion of said cylinder,'fuel injecting means 1ocated in the side Wallof said cylinder adjacent s aid intake valve, said fuel injecting meansbeing adapted to direct a conical spray of fuel against the top of saidpiston, and deflecting means positioned in said cylinder adjacent saidfuel injecting means and beneath said intake valve, said deflectingmeans being so arrangedv as to be scoured by an incoming charge of airwhen said intake valve is open and to direct said air toward the top ofsaid piston. g.

11. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a pistonreciprocatingly mounted y therein, exhaust and intake valves in theupper portion of said cylinder, fuel injecting means located in a sidewall ofsaid cylinder adjacent said intake valve, a vcorrugated fueldeflecting ange formed on the top of said piston and terminatinguponeither side of said fuel injecting means, said flange being providedwith an inverted cusp opposite said first named means whereby fuelsprays directed toward the ends of said `ange adjacent the fuelinjecting means will create a double vortex, and means associated withsaid intake valve for directing a charge of incoming air to said fuelsprays.

12. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a pistonreci-procatingly mounted therein, an intake valve, an exhaust valvehaving a concave corrugated head, means for injecting a fuel spray intosaid cylinder to impinge` on said head at an angle, said exhaust valvebeing so arranged that the fuel will thereafter be deflected toward thetop of said piston, and ignition means iii said cylinder.

13. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder andj a pistonreciprocatingly mounted therein, an intake valve, an exhaust valvehaving 'of the injected fuel comprising a plurality of corrugations onthe piston head having a width greater than their depth, meanscomprising an upwardly extending flange on the piston head and havinganv inwardly curved lip portion thereon for directing the fuel upwardlyin said cylinder and away vfrom the side walls thereof, an ignitiondevice in the side wall of said cylinder,

and said flange being arranged to shield said ignition device from thepath of the introduced air at the top of the piston stroke.

15. The combination with a cylinder of a piston reciprocating therein,means for introducing air into the cylinder in a rotating mass, anignition devicerin the cylinder at substantially the axis of rotation ofthe mass, and a fuel injection device in the cylinder for directing fuelthrough the rotating mass.

16. The combination with a cylinder of a piston reciprocating therein, ashrouded valve in the cylinder for introducing air into the cylinder ina rotating mass, yan ignition device in the cylinder at substantiallythe axis of rotation of the mass, and a fuel injection device in thecylinder for directing fuel through the rotating mass.

17. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder, a reciprocatingpiston in said cylinder, said piston having an undulating corrugatedsurface having a series-of round corner grooves with prominent edges atthe boundary of the grooves which are heated to a relatively hightemperature by the combustion of fuel in said cylinder, means in thewall of the cylinder for injecting fuel into said cylinder against saidcorrugated surface, an intake valve in the head of said cylinder havinga deector for directing incoming air against said grooves whereby thesame are caused to heat the air and cause the air tomix with the heatedfuel deflectedI by said grooves, and means in the cylinder Wall forigniting said fuel.

18. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder, a reciprocatingpiston in said cylinder, said piston having an undulating corrugatedsurface having a series of round corner grooves with prominent edges atthe boundary of the grooves which are heated to a relatively hightemperature by the combustion of fuel in said cylinder, said series ofgrooves being arranged in a surface curving generally upwardly from anair and cause the air to mix with the heated fuel deflected by saidgrooves, and means in the cylinder wall for igniting said fuel.

v19. In an internal combustion engine havv ing a cylinder, areciprocating piston in said cylinder, said piston having an undulatinggen- -cylinder for injecting fuel into said cylinder against saidcorrugating surface, an intake valve in the head of said cylinder havinga deector coacting with the cylinder for directing incoming air to oneside of said valve and toward one side of said piston surface wherebythe air is caused /to swirl adjacent the groovesand the same are causedto heat the air and mix it with the heated fuel deflected by saidgrooves, and means in the 5 cylinder wall for igniting said fuel.

` FRANK c. MocK.

